ROY Addis is a familiar face in the meat sheep industry, but breeders will see Mr Addis in the unexpected role of Unigrain British and Australasian breeds head steward at the 50th Wagin Woolorama.
Mr Addis was first involved at Woolorama as a 19 years young Suffolk breeder, exhibiting his Ashbourne sheep from Nyabing.
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When the new White Suffolk breed made its 1994 debut at Wagin, he was so impressed he established his own stud and continued to show both breeds with great success and many broad ribbons.
Today he is Nutrien Ag Solutions' keen-eyed prime lamb breed expert and as passionate as ever about meat sheep.
His interest in sheep breeding has been inherited by sons Josh and Brendon who each have White Suffolk studs of their own and compete at Wagin.
Mr Addis judged at Woolorama a few years ago and will this year see it from a completely new perspective after the Woolorama committee asked him to take over.
The reason - former head stewards Josh Kippin and fiancé Robyn Adams have a date at the altar a week after Woolorama.
Mr Addis is expecting good numbers but has a few reservations.
"Woolorama is a significant show and is at the right time of the year and relevant for our production system here in WA," Mr Addis said.
"I have no reason to expect we won't get good numbers, bearing in mind some breeders have moved away from the show ring."
His was a little concerned a lot of effort was required to prepare sheep for a show and it had to start back in October.
"I hope breeders were thinking about Woolorama back then because that's when decisions needed to be made," Mr Addis said.
"I think most recognise its prestige and the value they can get from showing."
The schedule underwent some big changes for last year under Mr Kippin and Ms Adams hand but with Woolorama cancelled, no one got to see how they played out.
A revamp of the conditions of entry included a clause for an exhibitor's minimum dress code requiring closed-in footwear, long trousers and a collared shirt.
It was felt breeders needed to set an example for the big number of school-age junior judges who came smartly dressed for the occasion.
The couple deleted a number of breeds from the schedule after several years of no entries and this has allowed remaining breeders to increase the number of sheep they could enter to 21 per stud.
The limit on entries was outdated considering in recent years the section had not had anywhere near the 2001 record-breaking 583 sheep from 61 meat breed studs entered.
The change was made on the proviso that anyone with a different breed could make the request and classes for their breed would be included.
Platinum sponsor Unigrain was another welcome addition to the section in 2022 and has carried over its donation to this year.
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In recognition of its generosity, the local company has naming rights to the B & A shed and has allowed prizemoney to double to $30 first and $15 for second.
In readiness for the 50th year, Mr Kippin and Ms Adams also went to great effort to rejuvenate the grassed arena and held working bees to remove all the pens and level the floor with a sheet of gravel.
Both will be helping out at Woolorama and Mr Addis said he was appreciative of their time and effort, saying he knows the exhibitors involved and has seen the show from a different angle but he hasn't been in this role before.
He said for a show to run as continuously as Woolorama had done, people need to keep putting up their hand to make things work and he was happy to be part of it this year.
"I know I will have supportive people helping me and know people in the industry are level-headed and understand how it all works," Mr Addis said.
With the decreased number of breeds, he said all judging and award presentations would be completed on Friday including the silently judged Joe Batt Memorial junior handler award and the prestigious and highly competitive supreme interbreed sheep.
Normally the section would be spear-headed by one or two interstate judges, but as a result of COVID in 2022 breed societies invited three local judges and they will fill their obligations this year.
They are Poll Dorset breeder Todd Wilson, Mardella; White Suffolk and South Suffolk breeder Grant Bigham, Williams, and Dorper breeder Adrian Veitch, Narrogin.
